1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to systems and methods for determining the degree of adiposity of a subject. In particular, the present invention relates to virtual systems and methods for determining the degree of adiposity of a subject.
2. Summary of the Invention
This invention relates generally to systems and methods for determining the degree of adiposity of a subject. In particular, the present invention relates to virtual systems and methods for determining the degree of adiposity of a subject using the shape of the torso as a proxy for the overall shape of the body.
Known methods for determining the degree of adiposity of a subject, or the level of fat deposits in a subject's tissue, have proven to yield inconsistencies. For instance, a traditional indicator, such as the Body Mass Index, can often lead to a false obese categorization of a physically fit athlete.
Key circumferential measurements are contained within the torso. These measurements include the waist, stomach, hips, chest, seat, abdomen, bust, and neck, among others.
Traditionally, various measurement ratios have been utilized to approximate the general condition of the subject. These measurement ratios, such as waist-to-hip, chest-to-waist, and bust-to-waist do not take into account the subject's surface area or volume. As a specific example, a waist-to-hip ratio of less than 1 is thought to be a good indication of overall shape. Thus with this approach, an obese person with a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.75 is considered to be more ideal than a shapely, well-proportioned figure with a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.80. Other ratios can yield similarly false characterizations.
To reveal the true adiposity of the subject, torso surface area and torso volume calculations are required. It must be noted that there is no direct relationship between volume and surface area. A sheet of paper, for instance, has a large surface area but occupies a correspondingly small volume. For the purpose of this invention, volume is a measure of space that the torso occupies, surface area is the coverage of the space the torso occupies, as if the torso is covered in a polyhedral mesh, split open and flattened on a plane. Torso volume and torso surface area are unique to each subject.
The subject's torso height is then used in the adiposity calculation to normalize each subject's (torso volume)/(torso surface area) product. The result of the adiposity calculation is known as the subject's Barix. The subject's Barix is then compared to the generalized Barix scale or a specialized Barix scale for interpretation.
The systems and methods of this invention are drawn to an improved indicator that objectively establishes the degree of adiposity of a subject. In an illustrative, non-limiting embodiment of this invention, the systems and methods utilize a certain height measurement, a certain surface area measurement, and a certain volume measurement combined in a mathematical formula that produces a dimensionless quantity called the “Barix”.
The Barix can be used to assess the overall adiposity of a subject by comparing the subject's Barix to the generalized Barix scale set forth in this invention. In various exemplary, non-limiting embodiment of this invention, the generalized Barix scale is applicable to the adult population. In addition to the generalized Barix scale, specialized Barix scales can be applied to various medical disciplines, including but not limited to categorizing the morbidly obese (a bariatric index), the degree of obesity of a child (a pediatric index), and the elderly as they age (a geriatric index), among others.
In various exemplary embodiments of this invention, changes to a subject's Barix, called the Barix trajectory, and the rate of change of a subject's Barix, can assess the direction of the subject's overall physical condition over a period of time. This can include monitoring post-operative patient recovery or gauging the progress of a diet or exercise regimen.
Accordingly, this invention provides systems and methods, which are capable of evaluating and classifying the degree of adiposity of a subject.
This invention separately provides systems and methods, which can assess the direction of the subject's overall physical condition over a period of time.
This invention separately provides systems and methods, which can be used to monitor post-operative patient recovery or gauge the progress of a diet or exercise regimen.
These and other features and advantages of this invention are described in or are apparent from the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments.